Rider-dangling bike enters limited production

Remember the Flying Rider? It was a prototype bike we covered in June, in which the rider hung from a harness instead of sitting on a saddle. The idea was that the padded overhanging part of the frame would keep the rider’s back from bobbing up and down as they pedaled, allowing that blocked vertical motion to be converted into increased leverage on the pedals. Well, despite the fact that a number of our readers thought the whole thing was a little questionable, it’s now going into production.

This Thursday we caught up with California-based architect and engineer David Schwartz, who designed the Flying Rider, at the Interbike 2014 trade show in Las Vegas. He told us that he will initially be producing 100 of the bikes, which he is hoping to sell through bike shops – they won’t be sold direct.

The carbon fiber frames are being manufactured in Edmonton, Canada by Dynamic Composites, which has previously built disk wheels and aero helmets for the Canadian National Cycling Team. Schwartz will then be outfitting the frames with a variety of components, including a Shimano 105 drivetrain. The weight of the complete bike is a claimed 20 pounds (9 kg).

Buyers, or the bike shops, will have to supply their own rock climbing-type harness.

If you think the Flying Rider might be for you, its suggested retail price is US$4,770 for the full bike or $2,462 for the frame and fork only. Depending on how much interest he receives from dealers at Interbike, David’s hoping to have bikes in select stores by the end of this month.